{"id":493,"date":"2020-08-07T14:15:27","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T04:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/?page_id=493"},"modified":"2020-08-09T12:46:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T02:46:18","slug":"the-root-verses-of-the-six-bardos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/the-root-verses-of-the-six-bardos\/","title":{"rendered":"The Root Verses of the Six Bardos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Another translation of the root verses of the six bardos is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Birthplace Bardo<\/em><\/strong> upon me is dawning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning idleness<\/em> \u2013 there being no idleness in [a devotee\u2019s] life \u2013Entering into the Reality undistractedly, listening<\/em>, reflecting<\/em>, and meditating<\/em>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrying on to the Path [knowledge of the true nature of] appearances <\/em>and of mind<\/em>, may the Tri-K\u0101ya<\/em> be realized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once that the human form has been attained,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May there be no time [or opportunity] in which to idle it [or human life] away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Dream Bardo<\/em><\/strong> upon me is dawning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning the inordinate corpse-like sleeping of the sleep of stupidity<\/em>, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the consciousness undistractedly be kept in its natural state<\/em>; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grasping the [true nature of] dreams, [may I] train [myself] in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Light of Miraculous Transformation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting not like the brutes in slothfulness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the blending of the practising of the sleep [state] and actual [or waking] experience be highly valued [by me].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Dhy\u0101na Bardo<\/em><\/strong> upon me is dawning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning the whole mass of distractions and illusions<\/em>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May [the mind] be kept in the mood of endless undistracted<\/em> Sam\u0101dhi<\/em>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May firmness both in the visualizing<\/em> and in the perfected<\/em> [stages] be obtained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this time, when meditating one-pointedly, with [all other] actions put aside,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I not fall under the power of misleading, stupefying passions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Bardo<\/em> of the Moment of Death<\/strong> upon me is dawning! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning attraction<\/em> and craving<\/em>, and weakness for all [worldly things], <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I be undistracted in the space of the bright [enlightening] teachings, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I [be able to] transfuse myself into the heavenly space of the Unborn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hour hath come to part with this body composed of flesh and blood; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I know the body to be impermanent and illusory<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Bardo<\/em> of the Reality<\/strong> upon me is dawning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abandoning all awe<\/em>, fear<\/em>, and terror<\/em> of all [phenomena],<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I recognize whatever appears as being mine own thought-forms,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May I know them to be apparitions in the Intermediate State;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[It has been said], \u2018There arrives a time when the chief turning-point is reached;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear not the bands of the Peaceful and Wrathful,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are thine own thought-forms.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O now, when the Bardo<\/em> of [taking] Rebirth<\/strong> upon me is dawning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One-pointedly holding fast to a single wish,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[May I be able to] continue the course of good deeds through repeated efforts;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the womb-door be closed and the revulsion recollected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hour has come when energy and pure love are needed;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[May I] cast off jealousy and meditate upon the Guru<\/em>, the Father-Mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—ooo000ooo—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[\u2018O] procrastinating one, who thinks not of the coming of death,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devoting yourself to the useless doings of this life,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improvident are you in dissipating your great opportunity;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mistaken, indeed, will your purpose be now if you return empty-handed [from this life]:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Holy Dharma is known to be your true need,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will you not devote [yourself] to the Holy Dharma even now?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epilogue<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Thus say the Great Adepts in devotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the chosen teaching of the guru<\/em> be not borne in mind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will you not be acting even as a traitor to yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is of great importance that these Root Words be known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Based on Baldock, John, ed. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Manuscript of the \u2018Bardo Th\u00f6dol\u2019<\/em>. Translated by L\u0101ma Kazi Dawa-Samdup. Introduction by John Baldcock. London: Arcturus Publishing, 2009. [A few Old English words in the original have been changed for readability.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another translation of the root verses of the six bardos is as follows: [1] O now, when the Birthplace Bardo upon me is dawning! Abandoning idleness \u2013 there being no idleness in [a devotee\u2019s] life \u2013Entering into the Reality undistractedly, …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-493","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":551,"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/493\/revisions\/551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-six-bardos.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}